Air purge for water heaters



y 9 3933 F. o. WALLENE 1,918,942

AIR PURGE FOR WATER HEATERS Filed March 26, 1932 (NVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented July 18, 1933 FRANK 0. WALLENE, or LAKEWOOD, onro AIR PURGE FOR WATER. HEATERS Application filed March as, 1932. Serial No. 601,394. I

This invention relates to an air purge forwater heaters or other like devices where a liquid is heated by contact with a heated gas. The inventionv is an improvement upon the apparatus described and claimed in my prior patent for Air purge for water heaters, granted April 7, 1931, No. 1,799,715, to which reference may be had for a more com-' plete description of the various parts, if desirable.

In the heating of water fed to boilers, to heating systems or in like places, it is desirable to purge the system and particularly the heater of foul air or other non-condensible gas which may collect therein for any reason. Such foul air or gas is objectionable from several standpoints. In the case of a feed water heater the air is heavier than the steam and forms a stratum or' layer beneath the steam and at the surface of contact with the water so as to blanket said surface and interfere with heat transfer to the water. In addition, foul air or gas,

in the case of a heating system, interferes with heat radiation in radiators, is further likely to cause or increase corrosion of the pipes and the production of deposits therein, and also produces otherwise harmful effects.

The present invention has for its object to remove from the system not only foul air or other gas ordinarily carried by the steam or other heating medium, but also such air or gas as may be entrained or held in the liquid being heated, such as the water, all

for the purpose of supplying heated liquid containing no foul air or other gas which might be objectionable.

In the drawing, which represent one embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, more or less diagrammatic; and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 22, Fig. 1.

While the invention is capable of use 4 where any liquid is heated by gas, for convenience and without any thought of limitation it will be described with reference to its use in connection with steam and water, as

in feed water heaters for boilers and the like,

as described in my prior patent hereinbefore referred to. The feed water heater illus-' trated comprises a casing or jacket 1 provided with a steam supply pipe 2, a steam eX- cess pressure discharge pipe 3, a water out- 7 let pipe 4, and a water' supply pipe 5 controlled by a valve 6 which is preferably float controlled, as will appear, in the usual manner. Steam inlet pipe 2 hasan extension into and across the chamber within the casing 1, so as to distribute the (i0 steam therein, the extension shown for the purpose being a pipe 7 provided with a narrow slot 8 along its length, so that steam will flow into the chamber above the water therein and be-distributed over a wide area. The water'supply pipe 5 communicates with suitable means for introducing the water into the heater in the form of 'a mist or spray of fine drops or particles widely distributed over the entire area of the chamber. The 50' means shown'for the purpose comprises a manifold 9 communicating with the supply pipe 5 and supplying water therefrom to a series of suitable'spray nozzles 10 located at different parts of the chamber and spaced from each other in any desired or suitable arrangement. As shown, the nozzles are at the upper ends of short risers '11 so that they spray the water upwardly into the chamber in the form of a fine mist of very small drops spread over a wide area. To remove the foul air and gases from the chamber, 1 utilize the same means described in, my prior patent referred to, to wit, a

purge pipe 12 carrying a float 13' and com- 35% mumcating with a pipe 14 passing through a packing to the outside of the chamber where it communicates by way of a valve 15 with a pipe 16 leading to the sewer or other suitable discharge. The free inner end of pipe 12, marked 17 always lies just above the surface of the liquid in the chamber, being supported in that position by the fioat 13 regardless of the level of liquid, and the open end of pipe 12 is protected by a hood or guard 18. Pipe 14, outside of the chamber, may be provided with an arm 19 connected by a chain 20 to a counterbalanced lever 21 for actuating the valve 6 to control the infiow of water to the chamber. Valve 15, as 109 in my prior patent, may be thermostatically controlled in any suitable manner, such as by a temperature responsive element or member 22 located in any suitable place where it will be responsive to variations in g the temperature of the foul air or other gas which collects in a zone or stratum just above the surface of the liquid, from which it is withdrawn by the purging apparatus described. As in my prior patent, the temperature responsive element 22' may be located in the said zone or stratum, but as shown it is inserted into the 'conduitfornn ing part of the purgin system and which conducts the foul air or gas to the valve 15. Said temperature. responsive element contains a heat expansible fluid or liquid and communicates by a pipe 23 V 'ith an expansible bellows 2e: whichactuates contacts in an el ctric circuit including any suitable source of current, such as a batter-5 26, and a coil or electromaguet 27 adapted to op crate the movable member of valve 15. \Vith the temperature responsive element 22 located in the pipe or conduit, as described,

1 permits the valve 6 to open so that additional water flows in to replace that withdrawn, and when the water level rises the contrary effect occurs, with a constant tendency to maintain the water at constant 1 level. The infiowing steam is distributed throughout the chamber by the slotted steam feed pipe 8. Whenever water is introduced to the chamber it is fed in the form of a fine mist or spray of small particles distributed and thrown about the gas chamber above the surface of the water. The steam introduced meets the spray of fine liquid particles and because of the very large contact area between'the steam and spray drops the steam has a tendency to remove from the water any foul air or other gas entrained therewith, so that the water spray falls to and enters the liquid body in the form of a substantially air or gas free liquid. As a result, all foul air or other gas which enters the chamber either with the steam or with the water collects in the form of a thin layer or stratum just above the surface of the liquid and from which stratum it is withdrawn and discharged to the sewer or other place by means of the purging apparatus, including the pipe 12 and its connections. Discha-rge from said pipe is automatically controlled by variations in temperature of the foul air or gas as described in my patent, so that the net result of all of the apparatus is to completely purge the system of foul air or other gas whether contained in the steam or other gas or in the liquid introduced to the heater for heating purposes. 7

Other advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is: 4 1

A feed water heater, comprising a chamber adapted to receive water to be heated, means for supplying water in spray form thereto, and purging means for removing air from the gas space above the water in said chamber, said purging means being sensitive to variations in temperature of foul air or other gas in sald chamber.

FRANK O. WALLENE. 

